The week started with a cold blast, ice on the water and a wind that chilled you to the bone. On the Monday the anglers who did venture out caught in the main on boobies with Emad Moaz and Mari Cani taking a limit each on boobies. Tuesday with the cold wet and vey windy conditions we had no rods on the water, on Wednesday season permit Dave Leavesley fished a short 3 hour session from the bank catching 4 on a orange blob before the windy conditions made it too difficult to fish

Thursday and conditions improved, still cold, but the wind reduced. Eyebrook member Ian Jobe caught 11 off the bank down by the tern raft, Thornton member Mike Cupitt bank fished and caught 6 with day rod C Day travelling from Worcester and was rewarded with 9 trout again from the bank. Friday another cold morning with ice on the water, although once conditions improved we recorded a rod average of 3.5 for the day, brothers W Newby & S Newby caught 11, Foremark regular Alan Topping caught 8 from the bank wit N Woolnough catching 7 from a boat. Another cold day on Saturday but we enjoyed our best day of the week Jan Webber & Howard Davies shared a boat and caught 17 down the Markfield arm, Martin Clay also boat fished and caught 10 trout, Steve Owen arranged for a group of the west midlands police to fish, many of them fishing Thornton for the first time, with them all taking to the bank, despite the cold conditions they all nearly caught with top rod C Howkins with 7. Thornton member Mark Hunt caught 13 from a boat with Lee Henfrey returning over 20 trout, photo on our facebook page www.facebook.com/FlyFishStore

A few trout on Saturday were taken on the buzzer

Sunday and few rods ventured out, Adam Gunby and Rodger Guise caught 8 for their short session, D Rowbotham caught 5 on a sinking line and white snake with Mick Carrig bank fishing and catching 4 on an olive woolly bugger

Best Area: Top of the Thornton arm & down along the shallows opposite the lodge along the wood past lonesome pine to the tern raft, trout are well spread, but very close to the bank

Last week’s rod average 4.2 does not give a true reflection of the week with Monday to Thursday producing good sport and a rod average of 6.1 however by Friday the colder conditions had started to take their toll with the water temperature dropping a full 1 degree down to 5 degrees with the period Friday through to Sunday averaging 2.2

Water clarity continues to improve with the trout well spread out along the shallows from the top of the Thornton arm along the wood to the bottom of the Markfield arm.

Monday Ian Hyde returned and took a boat to the top of the Thornton arm using his gold headed shrimp pattern to catch 20 trout. On Tuesday Peter Wrigley opted to go bank fishing and it proved to be the correct decision as he caught 17 on white lures. Wednesday Swinfield & Zeleny shared a boat taking a limit apiece on cats whiskers with the majority caught during the warmer part of the day. Thursday we enjoyed the best day of the week with bot and bank anglers catching, Phil Harding bank fished and caught 13 trout, Andy Burton caught 10 from a boat with Cross & Windram sharing a boat catching 31 trout between them to 4lb.

Friday and the cold weather had took hold, Jamie Scott caught 17 with most other anglers struggling to catch, Saturday and a sharp frost and bitterly cold wind saw most anglers struggling, although Rob Baker recorded 11 from the shallows opposite the lodge with Martin Clay catching 14 on cats whiskers from the Thornton arm. Sunday with its bitterly cold wind & wintery showers saw the majority of the anglers struggle to catch with many calling it a day by lunchtime due to the cold.

Best Area: Top of the Thornton arm & down along the shallows opposite the lodge along the wood past lonesome pine to the tern raft, trout are well spread, but very close to the bank

The 2018 season opened on Thursday 1st February to a cold North Westerly. As reported earlier the rain during the past month had put some colour in the water although by opening day our visibility was 14inch+

With a preseason stocking of 3000 trout anglers headed towards the known early season hot spots, opposite the lodge & wood bank.

The strong north westerly by midmorning blowing onto the shallows opposite the lodge had the bank anglers moving to fish the sheltered shallows from the lonesome pine down towards the tern raft.

First back to the lodge with his 4 fish limit was Draycote regular Alex Twaites who found the fish all the way down the Markfileld Arm to the tern raft weighing 4 fish for 12lb including a brace of overwintered trout. Mr C J Day had travelled from Worcester and he also found the trout all the way down by the tern raft catching 9 including a 4lb overwintered brown, photo on our facebook page www.facebook.com/FlyFishStore top pattern for the day was green & white lure

Our second day of the season & the north westerly wind persisted & was particularly cold, again the bank anglers along with boat anglers headed for the shelter of the Markfield Arm with the best of the sport been enjoyed during the early afternoon. Thornton member Szymon caught 14 from the bank fishing opposite the lodge & around to the lonesome pine. Draycote fishery warden & guide Lee Henfrey caught 13 with Lee finding the fish at the top of the Thornton arm, Draycote member Rodger Kerrison on his first visit to Thornton caught 7 on a cats whisker, with I Hyde on his first visit to Thornton catching 7 from the top of the Thornton arm

On Saturday we had a calmer day, although wet it felt warmer & we enjoyed the best day of the season to date with bank & boat anglers catching trout from the top of the Thornton arm all the way along to the bottom of the Markfield arm to the tern raft. Howard Davies bank fished & caught 9 trout, Chris Goodwin & Mick Glover shared a boat catching 21 trout on cats whiskers, Jan Webber got his season off to a flying start with 9 trout with Vince Aronica enjoying a great bank session catching 16

RIO DAGE DAY: We will also be taking bookings for our popular RIO SAGE day hosted at Draycote on May 6th with Simon Gawesworth of Rio & Jim Fearn of SAGE on hand to take you through the full range of Trout, Salmon & Saltwater rods & lines with the opportunity to take a SAGE rod matched to a RIO fly line out fishing for a free 1hr30min session with a guide from a boat, pre- booking essential details on www.flyfishdraycote.co.uk RIO & SAGE DAY PAGE

Another mixed weeks fishing for Thornton with no two days fishing the same as the daily rod average lurches from +2 to -1 no pattern whatsoever.

Phill Moore fished Tuesday morning catching 5 trout and reporting plenty of pulls, Phill returned next day and fished exactly the same but blanked, typical of the way its fishing, no pattern! D Timms and T Green fished Thornton for the first time in a while and were rewarded with 7 fish on sinking lines and booby, Steve Norman went out with his new fast sinking line and caught 5 fish to 3lb while his boat partner caught 2 with the largest a fine conditioned rainbow of 4lb8oz. Keith Coley and John Bebbington caught 8 on fast sinking lines drifting across the middle. Steve Jordan returned for his second visit of the week and recorded 6 trout on fast sinking lines.

Again this week the trout remain in the deep water with few around the margins, we could do with a week of noticeable cooler weather to bring the fry into the margins and hopefully the trout will follow.

The fish been caught on fry patterns are not where you would expect them to be with the majority taken on minkie boobies and boobies on a fast sinking line down the middle of the arms or the drift from the dam to the wood, this is despite the fry moving into the shallows and around the boat pontoon this week

Colin Meads recorded 7 for his mornings visit, Bob Jones caught 8 on a variety of boobies with Keith Coley and John Bebbington fishing fast sink lines on the drift over deeper water boating 14 in just over 4 hours. Steve Orton also enjoyed a short 4 hour visit coating 6 on fry patterns fished deep in front of the dam. Mick Cross and Chris Sayer fished a morning session boating 13 trout.

With Thornton entering its last month of the season, closing date Sunday 19th November we could do with some cooler evening temperatures to encourage the trout into the shallows after the fry.

This last week I think we can say were in that autumnal transition period as the trout start to turn their attention from the decreasing fly hatches to the fry.

Our water has cleared with visibility easily 6ft+ with large shoals of fry easily visible around the pontoon with fish starting to smash into them. Interestingly the fry feeding activity is at its best after 1pm

Andy Lillie caught 4 for his visit on a sinking line and booby, Clive Cattell caught 3 for his 4 our afternoon session on a booby, John Simpson had fish up to 3lb on his home tied bunny, Jem Langley used ph tails and diawls to take his 4 fish with Chris Sayer and Mick Cross boating 5 on boobies for their morning session.

Generally the afternoon & evening are fishing best with trout been taken on floating, hover & intermediate lines with daddies, buzzer & small cdc fishing best, although every day that goes by we are seeing an increasing number of fish falling to fry patterns.

Neil Bates fished a muddler during a breezy afternoon session boating 8 trout, Clive Holt continues to catch well in the late afternoon on suspender buzzer & traditional wet flies boating 7 for his session returning a few days later & boating a further 9 trout, Mark Johnson & Tim Cant caught 11 on their visit to green nymphs, Peter Wrigley recorded 8, John Simpson continued his good form with his bunny patterns boating 10 with Norman Perkins catching 11 on buzzers.

Mark Hunt caught 14 for his visit on crunchers, we wish Mark the best of luck at the Troutmasters Final being fished at Draycote Water 9th October

On Saturday we fished the Steve Parton memorial competition with float tubers fishing against boat anglers, thanks to Andre Russell of the float tube association for arranging this annual match, Float tubers won with 9 anglers catching 26 fish with the boat angler team catching 18.